The Ancient Olympics: Events, Technology, Superstars, Women,

Lessons for Them and for Us

Ray Stefani

Raystefani@aol.com

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The Stadium at Olympia(I’d add beer and souvenir tents)

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Ancient Stadium Layout

• There were 22 lanes divided by posts ( I counted them to be sure ).

• You could stick your toes into the parallel groves to start ( I did that to be sure ).

• For a one-length race, 22 could run at once.• For longer races, 11 could run at once, because

each runner ran around an end post and then back in the adjoining lane.

• The 1896 Panathenaic Stadium was long and narrow as a simulation.

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1896 Panathenaic Stadium(Made Entirely of Marble)

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4 Panhellenic Stadia and Length of a Greek Foot

• One plethron = 100 (Greek) feet

• One Stadion = 6 plethra = 600 (Greek) feet

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Games First

Held

Stadium

Length (m)

Length of a

Greek foot (ft)

Wreath Given to

the Winner

Olympic 776 BC 192.28 1.050 OlivePythian (at

Delphi)

582 BC 177.55 0.971 Laurel

Isthmian 581 BC 181.20 0.991 PineNemean 573 BC 178.00 0.972 Wild CeleryAverage 0.996

Ancient Olympics: 776 BC to 393 AD (Winners recorded to 277 AD)

• After 582 BC, over each Olympiad, there were six Games at four locations.

– Year 1: Olympic Games

– Year 2: Nemean Games and Isthmian Games

– Year 3: Phythian Games at Delphi

– Year 4: Nemean Games and Isthmian Games

• These were the Panhellenic Games, Crown Games or Stephanitic (∑τεφανιται) Games.

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Ancient Olympics

• The Foundation of Hellenic Culture translated and listed all the winners of the Ancient Olympics from 776 BC to 277 AD.

• http://www.fhw.gr/olympics/ancient/en/db.html• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ancient_Olympic

_victors• I have sorted the events and winners.• There were 5 sports and 30 events, 8 of which were

held only once.• There are 861 unambiguous results.

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Distribution of all 861 Unambiguous Olympic Competitions

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Sport/Competition % of the 861

Competitions

Athletics 49%

Combat 32%

Chariot Racing 11%

Equestrian Racing 4%

Artistic Performance 4%

7 Athletics Events (419, 49%)

Event Comments/Distance First

Year

Last

Year

Times

Held

Stadion X1, 192 m 776 BC 269 AD 254

Stadion-Boys X1, 192 m 632 BC 133 AD 31

Diaulos X2, 384 m 724 BC 153 AD 43

Diaulos in

Armor

X2, 384 m 520 BC 185 AD 28

Dolichos X7-24, 1344-4608 m 720 BC 221 AD 30

Pentathlon Stadion, Discus,

Javelin,

Long Jump, Wrestling

708 BC 241 AD 32

Pentathlon-

Boys

628 BC 628 BC 1

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6 Combat Events (279, 32%)

Event Comments/Distance First

Year

Last

Year

Times

Held

Boxing 688 BC 25 AD 61

Boxing-Boys 540 BC 89 AD 40

Pankration No holds barred. 648 BC 221 AD 70

Pankration-

Boys

No holds barred. 200 BC 117 AD 7

Wrestling 708 BC 213 AD 68

Wrestling-Boys 632 BC 97 AD 33

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Hippodrome1.2 km

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10 Chariot Events (94,11%)

Event Comments/Distance First Year Last Year Times

Chariot Race 65 AD 129 AD 2

Chariot-Foals 65 AD 65 AD 1

10 Horse Char. 65 AD 65 AD 1

Apene 2 mules, x6, 7.2 km 500 BC 456 BC 4

Synoris 2 horses, x6, 7.2 km 408 BC 60 BC 14

Synoris-Foals 2 foals, x6, 7.2 km 96 BC 1 AD 3

Synoris-Colts 2 colts, x6, 7.2 km 264 BC 264 BC 1

Tethrippon 4 horses, x12, 14.4 km 680 BC 241 AD 60

Tethrippon-

Foals

4 foals, x12, 14.4 km 372 BC 153 AD 7

Tethrippon-Colts 4 colts, x12, 14.4 km 384 BC 384 BC 1

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3 Equestrian Events (36, 4%)

Event Comments/Distance First

Year

Last

Year

Times

Held

Foals’ Race X6, 7.2 KM 256 BC 72 BC 7

Horse Race X6, 7.2 KM 648 BC 197 AD 28

Mares’ Race X6, 7.2 KM 496 BC 496 BC 1

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4 Artistic Performance Events (33,4%)

Event Comments/Distance First

Year

Last

Year

Times

Held

Herald

Competition

Gap of 420 years until

65 AD

396 BC 261 AD 12

Lyre Playing 65 AD 65 AD 1

Tragedy

Competition

65 AD 65 AD 1

Trumpeter

Competition

396 BC 217 AD 19

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What’s Up With 65 AD?Event Winner

Herald Competition Nero

Lyre Playing Nero

Tragedy Competition Nero

Chariot Race Nero

Chariot Race for Foals Nero

Race for 10 Horse Chariot Nero

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Only 3 Won More Events than NeroOnly 4 Won 6 Events Like Nero

• Four other 6 event winners:

• Chionis of Sparta (664 – 656 BC), Diaulos• Hipposthenes of Sparta (632 – 606 BC), Boys

Wrestling and Wrestling• Milon of Croton (540 – 516 BC), Boys Wrestling

and Wrestling• Hermogenes of Xanthes (81 – 89 AD), Stadion,

Diaulos and Diaulos with Armor

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King Philip of Macedon: Triple Winner

Event Year Winner

Horse Race 356 BC King Philip II of Macedon

Tethrippon 352 BC King Philip II of Macedon

Synoris 348 BC King Philip II of Macedon

Conquer the

Known World

King Philip’s son,

Alexander the Great

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Women at Olympia

• At the games dedicated to Zeus (Olympic Games)– Men competed, unmarried women attended.– The High Priestess of Demeter was an official.– Married women were not to attend.– A married woman was double Olympic champion.

Kyniska of Sparta trained the winning horses in the Tethrippon in 396 and 392 BC. She got her wreaths outside the stadium.

– Kallipateira trained her son in the stadium. When she was “outed”, she was pardoned. Her father, 3 brothers and son were champions. Trainers had to be naked after that.

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Women at Olympia

• At the games dedicated to Hera (Heraea Games)– Unmarried women competed in 3 age groups in running events

over 500 feet instead of 600 (83% as far). In 1928 when women returned to athletics at the Olympics, female champions were 83% as good as male champions across all the athletics events. Now women are 87% as good (90% at running).

– Women ran the stadion (160 m), diaulos (x2), hippios (x4) and the dolichos (x18-24, 2880 m to 3840 m)

– Married women were trainers, judges and officials. – The Greek government empowered the Council of 16 Women to

officially handle women’s competition.

• The torch for the current Olympics is lit at Hera’s shrine. Happily, women receive a symbolic equality at long last.

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What Do We Know About Performances?

• Phayllos of Croton won twice at Delphi in the pentathlon and once at the diaulos.

• An epigram says he long jumped 5 + 50 = 55 feet and threw the discus 100 – 5 = 95 feet.

• He made so much money in sports, he owned a battleship and fought for Alexander the Great at Salamis. Alexander sent all his loot to Phayllos in Croton from the next battle. It’s good business to win a war.

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Each Olympic Champion Received a ∑τεφανι (Stefani)

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Thank You Phayllos

• Phayllos’ Croton, was a Greek city in southern Italy.

• There were many athletes from Croton that earned a wreath called a ∑τεφανι (Stefani) for winning an event at the various Games. Thanks to Phayllos and them, anything important in Italy earned a Stefani.

• In the middle ages, scholars at Bologna were given a Stefani.

• My family name, Stefani, started in Bologna in 1350. My grandfather was born SW of Bologna.

• Without Phayllos, my name could have been Mussolini.

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Pentathlon: Measuring Long Jump, Discus and Javelin Distance

• Based on Phayllos, they probably started with ½ plethron (50 foot) markers.

• They probably created a 25 foot measuring device.

• By trial and error, they probably marked every 5 feet.

• The pentathlon was an elimination event so they probably measured as with Phayllos’ 50 + 5 feet and 100 – 5 feet.

• The first event was probably the stadion. We know the last event was wrestling.

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Technology ofLong Jumping with Weights

• Halteres weighed 1.5 to 2 kg.

• Researchers Benefit with 2 kg Optimal

Huang et al. 4.5% 8% of BW

Minetti and Ardigo 5.7% 5-6 Kg

• Epigram says Phayllos of Croton jumped 55 ft (16.3 m), out jumping the pit. Probably 5 jumps (Pentathlon = 5 events). KU Leuven says that after 8 weeks of training, jumpers reached 15 m (50 ft) with 5 jumps.

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How Could Phayllos Jump 55 feet: 5 Standing Jumps with Weights

Standing Long Jump Takeoff Landing

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Ancient Technology:Starting Gates for Running

Crank up posts at either end and secure with rings Ropes hold back the runners

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Ancient Technology:Starting Gates for Running

Pulling ropes released the posts, pulling down retaining ropes Outer lanes started first

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Advice to the Ancient Olympians: How to Beat the Start and Turn

• Practice watching the posts start to fall.

• Count seconds until the ropes hit the ground.

• Walk back a few steps and practice starting to run when the posts start to fall so you run right over the fallen ropes (maybe hop to be sure). This gives a head start.

• Practice a rapid stop and reverse of direction at the turning post. Don’t just run around the post. After all, you want to win a ∑τεφανι.

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What They Could Teach Us

• Leonidis of Rhodes (the Carl Lewis of old) had 12 wins, the Stadion, Diaulos and Diaulos in Armor four consecutive times each from 164 BC. We could learn much from his training methods, his starting techniques and his turning techniques.

• We could also learn from Astylos of Croton, who had 7 wins, including 3 in the Stadion, 3 in the Diaulos and 1 in the Diaulos in Armor from 480 BC.

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TechnologyStaggered Start for Chariot Racing(Compensates for Outer and Inner

Lanes Being Worst)

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Ancient Technology:Spin Stabilizing the Javelin

Rope and finger loop Throwing made it spin

(I’d be careful with that point)

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Statue at the National Archaeological Museum: Zeus, Poseidon or Phayllos?

Zeus or Poseidon?Javelin Thrower as a Model? Maybe a Statue of Phayllos?

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Advice to the Ancient Olympians: How to Improve Your Javelin Throw

• Reverse the direction of the cords and loop.

• Close the your hand comfortably over the javelin. Raising the finger or two stresses tendons.

• Put your thumb in the loop. The throw should be much more natural and you should gain distance. Win that ∑τεφανι!

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Wrestling Advice from Mr. Fingertips

• Sostratos of Sikyon won the Pankration (no holds barred) three times in a row at Olympia in 364, 360 and 356 BC, the Isthmian + Nemean Games 12 times total and the Pythian Games 2 times. That’s 17 wins. He found a technique for breaking his opponents’ fingertips. Ouch!

• They must not have had to shake hands afterward.

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Advice for the Trumpeter Competition

• Today’s trumpeters learn circular breathing where air can be expelled and a note retained while breathing in for part of a breathing cycle. That might have helped the ancient Olympic trumpeters.

• On the other hand, the ancient Louie Armstrong, Herodoros of Megara, won 9 consecutive times over a 32-year span from 328 BC. Imagine what techniques he must have had and what innovative sounds he must have made to win 9 times in a row. What a shame: no You Tube.

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Advice on What Can Be Done in One Day

• From the Isthmian Games, we should ask one athlete to teach us how to have one amazing day of accomplishment.

• Kleitomachos of Thebes won in boxing, wrestling and the pankration, all in one day.

• Not a bad day.

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Nutrition at the Ancient Games

• They ate large amounts of meat– They understood the need for animal protein, but did not

know about effective use of carbohydrates and fruit.

• They ate heart– They knew they needed oxygen transfer (nice try), but did

not know about aerobic training and anaerobic training.

• They ate animal testicles– They understood (roughly) hormones (nice try), but did

not know about steroids (which would have been legal).

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Training at the Ancient Olympicshttp://ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be/eng/TC021EN.html

• A four-day cycle was used

Day 1: Preparatory exercises

Day 2: Heavy training

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Light exercise

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Training at the Ancient Olympics

• Many athletes used halteras (1.5 to 2 kg)

• Weightlifters used heavier weights:Bubon lifted a 143 kg stone and threw it.

• Boxers shadow boxed with a bag.

• Pankration athletes used a heavier bag.

• Runners had muscular legs, thin upper bodies.

• Fighters had thick upper bodies, skinny legs.

• Galen said exercises should have been more balanced. Who are we to disagree with Galen?

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Psychology+ at the Ancient Olympics

• PEDs were not illegal, only bribery.

• They took opium juice.

• The took hallucinogens.

• We know that chariot drivers in Ancient Rome took strychnine as a stimulant (but using strychnine didn’t end in the Ancient World).

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StrychnineThomas Hicks used it with brandy to win the Olympic

Marathon in 1904. He almost died.

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Thank you from a Στεφανι!

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